Mexico: Hurricane Franklin - Information Bulletin No. 1

This bulletin is being issued for information only and reflects the current situation and details available at this time.

The situation

Tropical Storm Franklin hit at 22:45 local time on Monday 7th (03:45 GMT Tuesday) near the town of Pulticub, in the south-eastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the National Weather Service of Mexico (SMN for its Spanish acronym).

The National Civil Protection System maintains a red alert (maximum danger) for the central, east, south and west regions of Quintana Roo; an orange alert (high danger) for Yucatan, the north of Quintana Roo, central, southeast, east and north of Campeche, and a yellow alert (moderate danger) for the south and southwest regions of Campeche, and the southeast and east areas of Tabasco.

The centre of the storm hit land with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometres per hour, according to the SMN report issued at 01:15 local time (06:15 GMT) on Tuesday. At midnight, the centre of the tropical storm was located approximately 25 kilometres south of Punta Herrero, 105 kilometres northeast of Chetumal, and 125 kilometres south of Tulum, all of Quintana Roo's populations.

The system now moves through the Gulf of Mexico and has become a Category 1 hurricane. This will cause torrential storms in the regions of Quintana Roo, and intense storms in areas of Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas. Likewise, wind gusts exceeding 70 kilometres per hour and three to five meters high waves in Quintana Roo are forecast, and wind gusts exceeding 60 kilometres per hour with waves from one to two meters in Yucatan and Campeche.

The SMN, in coordination with the National Hurricane Center of the United States, maintains a hurricane monitoring zone from the coasts of Veracruz to Río Panuco, Veracruz state, as the rains continue until Friday, 11 August.

On Tuesday 8 August, the Government issued an Early Warning through the Early Warning System Portal (SIAT for its Spanish acronym).

Damages: In the state of Quintana Roo, there are no serious incidents reported, although about 300 people have required some type of care in the accommodations that were installed in the southern area of the state. Significant damage is expected in the states of Veracruz and Puebla due to rains and winds caused by the storm.

Government actions:
The National Coordination of Civil Protection of the Ministry of the Interior reported that the State Protection Units of Quintana Roo, Campeche, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco and Chiapas are carrying out preventive actions in coordination with municipal authorities and delegations of the Public Federal Administration to reduce the risk of possible negative impacts to the population. In turn, the government has started the re-establishment of basic services.

Also, classes at the elementary level were suspended for 8 August 2017. Through the response protocols, the ND-III Plan of the National Army has been activated. The airport has been reopened on 8 August in Chetumal, Quintana Roo.

In the State of Puebla, where a greater rainfall impact is expected, a permanent monitoring session has been established.

The Government of Mexico also mobilized two Liaison and Coordination missions (ECO for their Spanish acronym) to areas impacted by Hurricane Franklin.